Ranger's Recovery
by Unfocused and Confused
Summary: Set between Books 9 and 10, Will has to bear the burden of being Redmont's ranger on his own. Long chapters biweekly, while short chapters come Sunday, Wednesday and Friday the following week. Rated T for violent descriptions, especially in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1: The Crimson Dagger

**WILL CURSED ANGRILY AS HE LAUNCHED ANOTHER ARROW.**

He had been chasing these bandits for days through ravines, hills, and now, a seemingly peaceful valley. They were apparently part of a cultist group called the Crimson Dagger that sacrificed livestock to their gods. Why, he thought couldn't they grow their own? Maybe they were too lazy, or perhaps they didn't want to be associated with the Outsiders. He grimaced at the reminder that he was to shoulder the responsibility of being the fief's ranger on his own, since Halt was in the Redmont Infirmary.

Suddenly a loud, bloodcurdling scream rang through the valley. Running lightly on his feet, Will dashed across a clearing, over a stream, and around a gully. As he approached a clearing, Will noted that he was closer to the source of the sounds, so he slowed considerably, flicked his cowl over his head, drew his longbow, and retrieved an arrow from his quiver.

Taking a breath, he then peered around, searching for the cause of that ear-shattering shout. Most noticeably, he could see a man face down on the ground, his throat cruelly cut by what appears to be a dagger. The man appeared to be either a wealthy merchant or a government official. Trying to draw his attention away from the grotesque corpse, Will also noticed some footsteps leading away from what seems to be headquarters of the Crimson Dagger.

Deciding that they had not left anyone to guard the camp, Will stood up and examined the footsteps from earlier. Most obvious was a pack of prints left behind from an assortment of boots, heavy shoes, dog prints, and a pair of what seems to be tracks from metal plated boots. He immediately groaned. An armored knight was extremely difficult to kill, especially if they wore a jousting helm, which was a fact he word never, in his life divulge to Horace. He knew there had to be more to it, and as always there was. Light tracks from what seems to be a slender pair of thin feet, either the man's wife, or daughter.

Treading carefully, he was glad he left Tug with Old Bob that day. The pain would be unbearable if he lost the little hoarse. If worst came to worst, that knight could've seriously hurt or killed both of them. As he kept panicking, he realized that knight was getting to his head, and he realized that it could very well just be a marauder who had come upon those boots. Deciding that his current area was a well enough place to stop for the night, he set up camp, and began to think of the future that lay ahead of him, not remembering one of the most basic rules that Halt had drilled into his head.


	2. Chapter 2: Zenowrath

**I was originally going to wait until next week or so to begin typing up the second chapter, but your review made my day, so this goes to you Dash99.**

**Did anyone catch the little hoarse?**

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**WILL WOKE UP AS THE FIRST BIRDS BEGAN CHIRPING.**

He immediately groaned. Will was planning on waking up before dawn. Immediately, he sniffed the air, searching for any sign of smoke, a surefire sign of a camp. Finding none, he busied himself, gathering sticks for a campfire. After gathering the firewood, he took a tinderbox, lit the wood on fire, and prepared some coffee.

Once he had his fill, Will took his cloak, put it on, retrieved his longbow and arrows, and began putting up camp. His next task of the day was to close in on the destination, or even better, the owners of the footprints from yesterday. Immediately setting off on a brisk walk, he remembered that Tug was not with him. At least they don't have horses either, he thought.

After a few grueling hours of forced march, Will had a new found respect for all horses, not just Ranger's. He was off daydreaming, when some brusque voices cut him off. "We got her now!" one man with a bald head cackled evilly.

"Soon, The God Zenorath will rise, and not even a Ranger can stop us," said his short cohort with a cone on his head and a rather scruffy beard, joining in the evil laughter. Will was tempted to shoot them, just so they would be quiet, but he was beat to the punch.

"SHUT UP, and get back to work numbskulls!" They immediately put their act together and the short one immediately replied, "Yes Sir!" The other one however, spoke quietly to his friend. "Kiss Up." They then ran to a clearing only a few meters away from where he was. After that, Will decided they weren't worth his time anymore and looked to find the "her" they spoke of.

Looking around the camp, he saw a young woman gagged and tied up in a chair, and decided that everyone else's attentions were diverted by the commotion from the nitwits earlier. He flicked his cowl over his head and crept toward the woman. As he went to draw his saxe to cut her bonds, a large shadow was over him. Will went down, and before he blacked out, he heard a rather loud voice say, "Not today Ranger Treaty."

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There is a poll on my account, to determine the lady's name.


	3. Chapter 3: Escape!

** Writer-born-from-Shadows Long chapters aren't my usual writing style, but I'll endure it. Long chapters will end up being released bi-weekly on Fridays, while shorter chapters will be released the week after on Wednesdays and Fridays.**

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**THE CAVE WILL WOKE UP IN WAS DIMLY LIT.**

Will knew it was a cave because of the shabby stone walls, and the dirt floor. Well, either a cave or a shoddily built fort. Will was tied in a chair, like the woman from yesterday, but conversely, he was not gagged. As he was gathering his thoughts, a man interrupted him. How many times do these guys do this stuff? Anyhow, what he said was, "Welcome to the Fort of Zenorath, Ranger Treaty. My name is Kraganok, from Hallasholm. Forgive me if I hadn't noticed you earlier, I expexted you to be taller." "Hallasholm? Why aren't you in Skandia then? Did something happen?" Will shot back, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Hallasholm," Kraganok spat, "was my home. Then, your friend, the Oberjarl, banished me and my wife, even though I was his former first mate's uncle, for not worshipping the Skandian gods." Huh, Will thought, Svengal actually does have an old Auntie. "Enough talk. Sven! Hans!" Two heavyset men came into his room, wearing full metal armor, while Will just remembered one of Halt's most overused sayings. " Always expect the worst. That way, you won't be surprised when it happens." Kraganok then ordered the two to beat him to pieces until he was feeling like divulging sensitive information.

The two bruisers approached, and Will was reminded of Gerard and Killeen. Was there a giant island full of these hulking monsters? Quickly assessing the situation, he noted that they had neglected to tie his feet, so as Giant #1 approached, Will delivered a savage kick to the shin, and the hulking brute went down. Taking the advantage of Giant #2's suprise, he turned around, and hit the monster with the chair. The effects were devastating, and splinters flew everywhere, embedding themselves in both of their bodies. Will was better off, but his adversary was not. Like his friend, he also went down.

Knowing that he did not have enough time, Will sprinted down out a man sized hole in the wall, before realizing that they had taken his weapons, but not his cloak. It seems, he thought, this place was full of amateurs. Starting off again, he went at a much slower pace, going from corridor to corridor, until he came upon a room with a bounty of weapons. Searching greedily for his most treasured weapons, he came upon them, and a dozen armor piercing arrows, which reminded him of Halt's story of his battle with the Gallican warlord. Taking stock of the situation, he decided that nothing else in the room was of use to him, so he exited, but continued to search rooms for the woman he saw earlier.

Just as Will was about to give up, he noticed one door was closed shut, and had a few locks on it. Picking the lock, he opened the door and found the woman in there, unconscious. Cutting her binds, he hefted her over the shoulder and walked out, acting as if he belonged there. A man stopped him and asked, "What are you doing with her?" Will, noting that he was buying the act, replied, "Kraganok told me to take this one out to the other camp, since he didn't want to take a chance with the Ranger here." This seemed to reassure him, and word must've spread, because no one tried to stop him.

Some horses were corraled by the cave entrance, so he took one, and rode to Old Bob's to retrieve Tug. A few hours later he arrived to see the grey horse looking at him accusingly. _What about me?_ Tug's eyes seemed to say. Will ignored them, and fished an apple out of his pack, with which Tug ate up, then looked at him once more_. Apology accepted. Now, who's the damsel in distress?_ Will spoke quietly to him, "I'll explain later." Just at that moment, Old Bob emerged from his home, and said, "Hullo, Ranger Treaty, who's the damsel in distress?" Will replied, I'll get to that when I come back. Can I take Tug back?" Old Bob agreed and Will was off again riding towards Castle Redmont.

At the Castle, he went to the infirmary with the woman over his shoulder, still unconscious. He handed her to an orderly, and went to report to the Baron. Climbing up the stairs slowly, Will was exhausted from his riding, carrying, and constant vigilance. After being let in by the Baron's guards outside the door, he was told to sit down and give a report of what had happened.

Once the ordeal was over, he traveled to his cabin in the woods, but instead of Ebony yapping at the door when he came in, Alyss was inside, awaiting his return. "Have a nice trip, Will?" Will decided he could stay up a little longer, as he embraced the night with her.

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**The poll for naming that lady is STILL UP.**


	4. Chapter 4: Friendly Reunions

**I know I kind of deviated from the original plan, but I couldn't resist another chapter**

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**WHEN WILL WOKE THE NEXT MORNING, ALYSS WAS GONE.**

He decided that she had to leave for diplomatic duties, not because she didn't appreciate last night. Of course, this didn't matter to him as he realized that Halt was still in the infirmary, and immediately set about, running around, his mind racing like a butterfly, back and forth, side to side. Getting his hair fixed was one thing he could do without, but a day without coffee was another.

Finally deciding he could go, he departed immediately, wasting no time whatsoever. Any questions people would've asked were immediately dismissed, due to the Ranger's mysterious aura. As soon as he reached the infirmary, he saw Halt, arguing with the same orderly he saw yesterday. Same old Halt, he thought. "But Ranger Halt," he explained, "the healer, Malcolm has left specific instructions for you to stay here for at least a month." Halt furiously replied, "I don't give a horse's behind about what Malcolm says!" Will, being the good person he is, steps in and says, "I do. Malcolm saved your life, remember?" The orderly, deciding he did not want to mess with the Rangers, ran out hurriedly.

Halt slumped resignedly on the bed. "So how's the fief Will?" he asked. Will replied evenly, "It's fine, but we have a problem." Halt's eyes perked up at the word problem, "Problem? What do you mean problem? Everything is fine, right?" Will then decided to word his answers very carefully from then on.  
"Well, uhm... Sort of."  
"Sort of? I'm worried Will. This is the first time you haven't answered a question with a question."  
"Ha-ha, very funny Halt."  
"Stop trying to change the subject and get on with it!"  
"Okay, well... There's another cult."

Halt became very curious at that. "Cult? They're not like the Outsiders are they?" Will knew he had to reply, or Halt would try to get out again. "Not as bad, they sacrifice livestock... And people." Halt immediately was on the assault, asking yet again, another question. "People? How do you know of this?" Will answered "Well, they tried to sacrifice this woman, but I saved her. She was placed into the infirmary yesterday." Halt was confused now, as he said, "Nobody was placed into the infirmary yesterday." Will, also confused replied, "But the orderly you were talking to... He's one of them, isn't he?" Halt knew what was coming. "Yep. Are we going to go after him?" Will, knowing what Halt would ask, had to say, "Fine. Let's go."

The two Rangers ran out of the infirmary where it seems the orderly was taking his time. Will breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, some supernatural feeling made him turn around, and as he saw the two Rangers, he turned and ran. They had to chase him around three corners, but by then, a familiar knight with a round buckler emblazoned with an oak lead had slammed the pommel of his sword onto the orderly's forehead.

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The Poll is still up.


	5. Chapter 5: Revelations

** Writer-born-from-Shadows I had actually forgotten about Gilan. He isn't used much in the series, but thanks to you, I just thought of the craziest ending, and it involves a Gary-Sue Horace. Not saying anything yet, but you can guess.**

**Meanwhile on another note, this story has over 100 reads. Thanks guys!**

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**"SO YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT THIS GUY IS REALLY EVIL?"**

They were stuck in the cabin for an interrogation, and Horace would not stop on his endless barrage of questions. Seriously, thought Halt, he's even more worse than Will! Will, however was occupied tying up their prisoner, the orderly. "Yes, Horace, he really is evil," Will had called out sarcastically.

Fortunately for the Rangers, just as Horace was about to draw breath for another question, the orderly woke up. "Who? What? WHERE AM I?" What is with all these youngsters and questions, Halt thought. Will drew his saxe, and dangled it in front of the man's face, before asking, "Where's the girl?" The man, however, spit in his face. Halt remarked to Will, "These cultists are testy. Should we start lopping off body parts yet?"

The man's face paled at that. "Okay okay, the girls are at Fort Lettel." Horace, for once was actually listening, and inquired, "Girls? There's more than one?" Just after the sentence was finished, there was a knock on the door. "Will, go answer it." Halt grumpily commanded. Will got up immediately, and went to the door.

It turns out Lady Pauline was there, so she and Will conversed for a while. There was a relatively large gasp, which was even louder than a Horace sneeze. When Pauline left, Will returned to his buddies, his face a mask of hatred. "TELL ME WHERE YOU TOOK HER RIGHT NOW!" With that, he slammed his fist into the former orderly's gut. "WILL WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE DEVIL ARE YOU DOING?!" Halt yelled. "THEY TOOK ALYSS! THEY TOOK HER!" Will struck the man with every word. Horace leapt up and restrained him, as Halt tried to calm the furious Ranger. "We won't know where that Fort whatever-it-is will be unless this guy right here leads us to it." Halt for some reason, had a soothing effect on Will, and he slumped onto a chair.

"Now, you tell us right now where those girls are, or I will let Will beat you senseless, then leave you to rot in jail for the rest of your life." Nobody, ever, in all of eternity, doubted any threat Halt had made. The captor was no exception. He broke down immediately, and even gave them some inside information such as guard shifts and building locations. The poor criminal took the time to draw an insanely detailed map, including secret passages and hiding areas.

"Well, what do we do with him now?" Horace asked Halt and Will. Will, still hating the man, suggested killing him, and leaving the body to wild animals, but Halt vetoed that idea and had the man sentenced to hard labor in the fields of Redmont. The pitiful heap of a human being protested, but when Skandia was mentioned, he agreed that yes, years of farming was an adequate punishment.

So now we have it, the old trio of legendary figures, set off on a quest that would rival the destruction of the Kalkara, but was neglected to be written down, for Will wanted to get over with it, and forget as soon as possible. It was only by a well-preserved journal of Horace that we come upon this epic tale of bravery accompanied by heroism in generous amounts, like salt on french fries.

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Well, it seems nobody has VOTED yet. Except for two people. Poll is on my profile if you've forgotten.


	6. Chapter 6: Codenames

**Please, tell me if I do good on chapters, or what I need to improve on.**

**I snuck a whole bunch of references in this one, see if you can spot them.**

**Hey guys, the total amount of words this week is around 1800. A bit longer than my long chapters.**

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**WILL WAS GETTING ON EVERYONE'S NERVES THAT DAY.**

Seriously, thought Horace, annoying everyone won't get your girlfriend back. Their first stop, the Baron's office, to inform him of their journey. Baron Arald was getting overweight as the years passed. Horace, of course, was still grateful that he had let them into his Ward, but once a warrior, always a warrior.

The next stop was one of the Ranger's bird coops. Halt, obsessed with secrecy, blindfolded him. "Come on Halt. I'm in your Interwhatever-it-is Corps, you've known me for years, and I'm Will's best friend. Can I PLEASE go without a blindfold?" Horace had pleaded. To no avail, they continued on, Horace all too wary about traveling without seeing, hoped his friends wouldn't lead him into a tree.

Once there, Will scrawled a note onto a teeny sheet of paper, with a tiny pen, with a minuscule amount of paint, with a ridiculous amount of code. When he inquired about it to Halt, the older man snorted, and replied, "Top-secret Ranger code, Horace." That was a little unfair to him. Why couldn't the knights of Araluen have their own secret code?

Again, with the blindfold covering his eyes, they traveled back to the Cabin. However, they stopped at an inn since it was getting dark outside, with Halt cursing at Horace for wasting time with his constant snack breaks. When there, a young woman with blonde hair and stormy gray eyes approached him, and asked what they wanted. Halt stepped in before Horace could reply, and only asked for accommodations. Of course, right when he finished, Horace's stomach growled, and the lady looked startled. "You must be hungry dear. Don't worry sweetie, we'll fix you up some grub." She then turned around, and shouted, "PERCE! GET SOME FOOD READY, WE HAVE SOME HUNGRY FOLK HERE." A masculine voice replied, "On it Anna!"

As they were led to a table by the girl, two men wearing hats conversed, "Carl, you've toppled governments, murdered, and sunken cruise ships, yet you somehow top all that by exploding a wall of our house and an entire city?" One had said. The other replied cheerily, "Of course Paul, after all, I am a psychopath with a long history of violence." This was getting creepy, thought Horace.

Soon, a man with jet black hair and sea green eyes emerged, carrying a steaming plate of lobster and pineapples. "Sorry for the lack of variety, but those cultists have been taking the livestock 'round here" the server had said apologetically. "You don't say," was what Halt replied with.

"So, for later, can we think of nifty code names?" Horace asked. "What do you mean?" Will asked with a mouthful of lobster, spitting out chewed up particles with every word. "Talk when you DON'T have anything in your mouth, okay?" Halt had said. Will wondered, "What about my tongue?" "Anyways," Horace said, deviating from that avenue, "I could be like, Bear, Will could be Recovery One, and Halt can be Stop." Nobody protested since their mouths were full, so he happily declared, "Alright, that's the code names. Let's call it a night."

After eating the scrumptious lobster, they retired to beds upstairs. "Horace, don't break anything. We wouldn't want to anger the landlords," Halt told him. Of course, he thought, if anyone was bound to break something, it had to be me. One thing did bother him though. Was Halt really afraid of landlords? He thought back to Clonmel. Yes, yes, it made sense now. Halt was afraid of land-people. Horace then rested, dreaming of all the ways he could use this against the senior Ranger.

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**Guys, seriously the poll is ****_STILL_**** up. Secure your vote, or contest the others by voting.**


	7. Chapter 7: Really Horace?

**This is the last chapter. Once you're done, check out my other story, Bash and Whacker.**

**Warning, this has some Gary Sue in it, but for a reason. If you don't want to read it at all, skip to after the line once you finish paragraph 3, but it will make more sense if you read the Gary Sue paragraphs.**

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**HORACE WAS HAVING THE TIME OF HIS LIFE. **Kicker was running up and down hills. Halt called out tiredly, "Knock it off Horace, we'll be seen a mile away." Knowing this was true, he slowed down considerably. The past four hours of riding made him saddle sore. Annoyed, he looked at the Rangers. They seemed stoic as ever, not showing the slightest sign of discomfort. Horace decided to bug them, and make them miserable too.

"Stop, I need to talk to you please." Halt made no move to come closer to him. Horace then slowed down and yelled, "Halt!" Halt tiredly replied, "What?" Horace wizened up. "I wasn't talking to you, Stop. I was talking to Recovery One." Will looked around wildly, "Who called out my secret name?" My gosh, Halt thought, He's got Will in it too!

After another hour or so of Horace's endless annoyances they reached a fort. Well, this was as good as anything. Horace stirred up Kicker, and both man and horse rocketed towards the fort. "Hyah!" Horace cried out, and they busted through the gates.

It was complete and utter chaos. The legendary knight broke down the moral of a hundred soldiers, scattering them as he went by. "Run for your life Perkins!" A man shouted at one of his cohorts. Soon, a man appeared, with electricity arcing across his body.

The wizard or whatever it was snarled, and cast lightning bolts at his opposition. Will and Halt just just fast enough to dodge the furious lightning bolts. Horace, on the other hand, simply deflected it, then urged Kicker toward his horrendous foe.

"Horace, No!" Those last words were ripped out of Will's mouth as the fiend shot another lightning bolt toward his best friend. The bolt hit home, but instead of killing the knight, the body armor reflected it, killing the sorcerer.

Searching various corridors, they finally found Alyss and the girl. Her name, was Sarah, and she excitedly thanked Horace, and gave him a big hug, to which both Rangers raised eyebrows to. After riding home, everyone had a big party, and were welcomed home.

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"Horace, that was the worst book ever."

"What are you talking about Will? I put a lot of effort into it. " Horace was moping at the fact that none of his friends appreciated it. Halt agreed with Will, and noted, "You do know that metal conducts lightning, so you would've been fried." Erak, angry as always, yelled, "Why aren't I in the story?!" Alyss was confused the whole time, and questioned, "If they kidnapped me while I was sleeping, why not kill Will?" Will also put in, "And how could they sneak into there without waking me?" "How can somebody shoot lightning?" Alyss chimed. "Ranger's Recovery? Halt barely spent any time recovering," Erak put in. Halt meanwhile said, "I never spent any time recovering!" It was all very miserable for Horace.

In the end, they all seemed to agree. Horace's book sucked. As they were all about to leave, a voice announced, "I think I was represented very well." Gilan emerged from the shadows. Most of the people present voiced surprise, but Will just had to ask, "Gilan, what do you mean? You weren't in the book." Gilan shook his head, "No, I meant in the series." Everyone but Gilan and Horace looked confused. "Series?" Halt asked cautiously, hoping they were kidding.

Gilan cheerfully replied, "Nope," and plopped a book down in front of them. The cover said, The Chronicles of the Crimson Blade: A true account of Gilan's adventures. "Oh no, not again," Will grumbled.

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**Haha! I Gary-Sued for a reason!**

**And yes, The Chronicles of the Crimson Blade will end up being a story, I just want to write some more Bash and Whacker now.**


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